Free Holiday Gift Budget Calculator: Per Person and Per Paycheck
Holiday spending adds up from more than gifts: wrapping, shipping, hosting food and travel all land in the same few weeks. List who you're buying for and the extras below to see your full holiday budget and how much to set aside from each paycheck between now and when you shop. There are about some weeks left until December 25.
It runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere. The names and amounts filled in below are made-up examples; change them to yours.
| Person or group | Gift budget ($) |
|---|
Extras, $:
How the math works
- Total = every gift budget + every extra.
- Still to set aside = total − what you've already saved.
- Per paycheck = still to set aside ÷ paychecks left before you shop.
Example (made up): six gifts at $305 plus $145 of extras is a $450 holiday budget. With $50 already saved and four paychecks left, that's $100.00 per paycheck.
If the per-paycheck number is more than you can spare, lower a few gift amounts, try a gift exchange or set a family price limit now, before the shopping starts. This is general information, not financial advice.
Save for it in one place
The Sinking Funds Tracker ($5) is a spreadsheet for up to 20 goals at once, holidays included, that shows how much to set aside per month and per paycheck to hit each date. Works in Excel and Google Sheets. More holiday help is in the free Holiday Money Hub.
Get the tracker on Gumroad – $5
This template is also in the Complete Household Money Bundle (what's inside): all 13 home money spreadsheets for $29 (about $69 if bought one by one).
We make this template, so take that into account. The calculator above is free to use either way.
Related free guides
- How to Set a Christmas Gift Budget per Person
- How to Budget for Holiday Gifts and Travel Without Debt
- Sinking Funds: How to Budget for the Holidays
- How to Budget for Thanksgiving Dinner (Example Numbers)
More free tools: all calculators.
See all Cedar & Ledger templates